There may be times when Christian leaders become confused by what seems to be incompatibility between God’s character and His actions. Read Habakkuk 1:12-13.

Habakkuk’s first complaint to God was that He allowed the wicked leaders of Judah to continue in their lawlessness and perversion of justice. When God informed Habakkuk that His plan to solve the problem was to use the army of Babylon as His weapon of judgment to punish Judah, Habakkuk had an even more strenuous objection. The Babylonians were a wicked, brutal, unjust, pagan people that did not recognize God’s sovereignty and were more evil than the people in Judah. His question was how God could use a more evil people to bring judgment on His people. Habakkuk was confused by an apparent incompatibility between God’s character and His actions.

Christian leaders can and should make their plans, but they must never forget that it is God who controls the future. Read Proverbs 21:1.

Wise leaders know there is a difference between being in charge and being in control. Christian leaders fool themselves if they think they are in control. God may have entrusted them to be in charge of a family, a team, an enterprise or even a nation but the control remains in God’s hands.

To be an effective over the long haul, a leader must be an encourager. Read Proverbs 12:25.

In the rough-and-tumble circumstances of life, members of your team will receive blows that will leave them emotionally battered, drained of their joy and grasping for a reason to hold on let alone do their best. During these times few functions a leader performs are more important than keeping hope alive.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” Proverbs 9:10.

A text note in Zondervan’s Leadership Bible states, “Leaders are effective to the extent they can gather, interpret, understand and apply good information. The processes cannot function fully when God’s power and sovereignty are not given appropriate respect. This verse tells us that nothing has higher priority for understanding reality and acting on it than standing in awe of Almighty God.”